Traffic chaos gripped major cities in Europe on Wednesday as taxi drivers in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal staged their biggest protest so far in the battle for their livelihood against taxi hailing apps.

A number of taxi summoning applications – the most popular of
which is San Francisco-based Uber – have threatened the jobs of
many licensed European taxi drivers, many of whom took to the
streets in their cars for the massive demonstration.

Such applications allow users to see the nearest registered cars
and hail them directly from their mobile. Licensed taxi drivers
say this gives private hire cars an advantage while putting the
traditional European taxi model and drivers' jobs at risk.

London tourist hubs blockaded

Up to 12,000 black cabbies and private hire cars jammed traffic
near London’s tourist hubs of Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, and
Parliament Square from 2 p.m. local time in a protest the taxi
drivers started planning weeks ago.

The
Metropolitan Police said that “repeated attempts” to
contact the organizers of the campaign failed. In an open letter,
the security authorities warned the taxi drivers that without
official written notification, the protest "could give rise
to criminal liability" and lead to arrest.

"Today's demo goes ahead, 2pm T Sq/ Whitehall/P Sq. Comply
with all police instructions, do not give up, do not be beaten,
just head back!" the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association wrote
on Twitter, despite the warning from police.

Do not give up, keep coming , we r winning, if diverted return
by any route however circuitous ! United we stand! RT

"They're killing us off, starving us out," Mick Fitz, a
London black taxi driver who has been in the business for years,
told Reuters.

"With their taximeter, their apps that they use, their
technology, those are taximeters basically, which by law only we
are allowed to use," Fitz said, referring to the 1998
British law reserving the right to use a meter for licensed black
taxis.

In response to the mass demonstration, Uber said that it has seen
an 850 percent increase in its users from last Wednesday.

"Black cabs have been a symbol of London for many decades,
known across the world. But symbols, no matter how iconic, cannot
be allowed to stand in the way of innovation," said director
general of the Institute of Directors, Simon Walker, as quoted by
BBC.

London’s licensed taxi drivers were also joined by their French
colleagues.

German taxi drivers take to the streets

Thousands of German taxi drivers in Berlin, Köln, Frankfurt, and
Hamburg also took part in the Wednesday strike. They protested
against Uber and similar apps such as Blacklane (a German
limousine car service) which they believe create unfair
competition.

“It has to be regulated. It has to be fair. It cannot go on
like this anymore. We have to pay for all the costs and our
licenses. They pay for nothing except their cars and
petrol,” 64-year-old Siegfried Liebesgesell from Berlin, a
taxi driver for 35 years, told the Local.

Taxi licenses in Europe can ultimately cost up to 200,000 euros
(US$270,000) a piece. There are an estimated 7,000 taxi drivers
in Berlin, 2000 of which are self employed, Liebesgesell added.

Madrid strike planned for 24 hours

The Spanish capital and major tourist city of Barcelona held
similar demonstrations against carpooling apps on Wednesday.
Madrid planned the strike to last 24 hours – from 6 a.m.
Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.